Programs that crash or lock-up can result in substantial down time for machines and users alike. It is, therefore, important to be able diagnose such programs to find out why they are having problems. Having a comprehensive history of the problems greatly aids in the detective work. However, it is not always easy to accumulate an accurate history of crashes or lock-ups. In a corporate network, for example, an administrator may install an error-prone program on many clients throughout a network. If the problem with the program is the kind that prevents users from using the program at all, then the users will usually inform the system administrator immediately, making it easy to build up a history. The problem may not be so catastrophic, however. For example, if the program has intermittent problems that the users can solve simply by shutting it down and restarting it, then the system administrator may seldom, if ever, receive feedback from the users. As a result, the down time resulting from the program may go undetected.
Thus, it can be seen that there is a need for a new method and system for obtaining computer shutdown information.